The Garmin 705: Making Cycling Even More Efficient and Fun
Written on 08/25 at 02:07 PM by Andy Posner
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I wrote this article for Treehugger. It can be seen in its original context here
The Garmin 705 Mounted to my Touring Bike
GPS Units Are Useful
Affordable GPS units are tremendously useful, enabling scientists to track global warming, drivers to save fuel, indigenous groups to document environmental destruction, and so on. GPS is also used for fun and recreation; for instance, geo-caching is a popular “high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world” that gets people outdoors, and for several years Garmin has sold GPS units for bicycles that display speed, distance covered, etc.
Combining the Fun and Functionality of GPS
All this is great, but what if we could combined the usefulness of GPS technology along with the fun? Well, I recently purchased a Garmin Edge 705, which does just that. The 705 has all the features of a standard GPS bicycle computer (speed, distance), but it also provides turn-by-turn directions and maps anywhere in North America. Bicycles are already the most efficient form of transportation, but getting lost on a bicycle (especially at night) is not only tiring and frustrating, but can potentially be dangerous. So I was especially excited about putting the 705 on my bike and testing things out.
Why Cycling is To Transportation What Efficiency is to Energy
Written on 08/05 at 12:59 AM by Andy Posner
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The author, on his 2005 cross-country bicycle trip, proving that cycling can be sexy!
I wrote this article for TreeHugger. It can be seen in its original context here
Until the recent spike in gas prices, much of the discussion about solving our transportation problems--namely, emissions from cars and dependence on foreign oil--centered on increasing the efficiency of the vehicles we drive through higher CAFE standards and new designs. Lately, the discussion has expanded to include the importance of public transportation, walkable cities and, to a lesser extent, cycling. However, even as alternatives to driving have become more prominent in public discourse, the fact of the matter is that people get far more excited about the Chevy Volt and the Tesla Roadster than they do about hybrid-electric buses and bicycle lanes.
Shiny Cars and Solar Panels Get More Attention
In much the same way, when it comes to solving our energy crisis there is always more enthusiasm for renewable energy technologies, like wind and solar, than there is for energy efficiency. When it comes down to it, fancy cars and shiny solar panels are just sexier than riding a bicycle and installing triple-glazed windows. At the same time, cycling--which is the most efficient form of transportation--and energy efficiency, are by far the cheapest means of addressing a wide range of issues, from climate change, to congestion to high energy prices.
Car? What Car?. . .Hauling Furniture By Bicycle
Written on 08/04 at 11:47 PM by Andy Posner
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Until Now, A Limit to What I Could Do With My Bike
Here at Treehugger we talk a lot about cycling for transportation as well as recreation purposes. On a personal level, the bike has been my car for the past five years, during which time I have riding across the U.S., commuted to work and class, and ridden for every conceivable purpose and in rain, snow, hail and heat. However, one limitation has always bothered me: whenever I’ve needed to carry something larger than what can fit on my rack or in my panniers, I’ve had to rely on someone with a car in order to carry that object. In other words, I wasn’t living the “true” car-free lifestyle.
Well, that all changed last week when I received my new trailer from Bikes at Work. There are lots of different trailers out there, but I decided on this one because it is designed to carry up to 300 pounds and has an innovative hitch design. Not only that, but on their web site you can see amazing pictures of people hauling everything from fridges to sofas to lawnmowers--that’s the kind of trailer I want! I finally got to test out the trailer earlier today when I went to Office Depot to buy a new office chair. See how the trailer performed (as well as more photos) after the fold.
My Challenge to America: Don’t Ignore Gore’s Speech
Written on 07/20 at 04:57 PM by Andy Posner
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I wrote this article for the Huffington Post. The article can be seen in its original context here
Last Thursday Al Gore gave a speech, the full text of which can be read here, that challenged America to “to commit to producing 100 percent of our electricity from renewable energy and truly clean carbon-free sources within 10 years.” It was a speech that should have inspired and excited Americans of all walks of life at least as much as, if not more than, President Kennedy’s famous speech calling on America to put a man on the moon within a decade. Instead, Mr. Gore’s idea has been met with a chorus of criticism, with the naysayers claiming that it would be too costly, too impractical, and too risky to attempt to meet such a goal.
Apollo and Gore’s “Moon Shot"--A Flawed Comparison
The comparisons between America’s mission to the moon and Gore’s “moon shot” proposal, while useful, are flawed. Both represent great challenges, yet it must be remembered that in 1961 we did not possess the technology to get to the moon; we do, however, have the technology to achieve 100% renewable energy. But perhaps more importantly, although the Apollo program was great for national pride and beating the Soviet Union, it was by no means essential to our nation. Switching to renewable energy, on the other hand, can not only dramatically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, it can also help us regain our stature in the world, create jobs, rein in unpredictable energy costs, lower health care costs, get us off foreign oil (provided we also electrify our transportation system) and force American companies to innovate in ways that will be good for them and good for America.
Cyclists, Motorists and the Law
Written on 07/16 at 02:09 PM by Andy Posner
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Note: I write four articles a week for TreeHugger.com. I will occasionally post them here. You can read this article in its original context here
Caught at a Red Light
Last night I was biking home from the movie theater when I got caught at one of those red lights that cyclists dread. If you are a cyclist, you know the situation: you’re on a small road and need to turn onto a larger road. Unfortunately, the light only changes if a car trips a sensor under the road. Your options now are limited: you can either run the light, wait for a car to trip the sensor, or climb off your bike and push the cross-walk signal (if there is one.) Well, at first I waited for a car to come, to no avail. Nor did the street have a cross-walk signal. My only option was to run the light, but as a law abiding cyclist, I wasn’t terribly excited about the idea. One of my biggest pet peeves is seeing cyclists running lights and stop signs, riding on the wrong side of the road, etc. After all, while motorists often don’t seem to know how to share the road and put others in danger, cyclists greatly damage their image by not obeying the laws of the road.
A Bicycle is Not A Car
I ended up running the light after making sure there were no cars in the vicinity, but that’s not the point. I tell this story because it got me thinking about the fact that while cyclists have the same rights--and responsibilities--as motorists, a bicycle is NOT a car, and perhaps shouldn’t be treated as such. (Of course, I believe a bicycle can do everything a car can!) Conversely, if we are to really view bicycles in the same way as cars, at a a minimum from a legal perspective, then we have done a pitiful job of providing the requisite education and infrastructure to make that a reality.
Tortillas, Ethanol, and High Fructose Corn Syrup
Written on 07/14 at 11:00 AM by Andy Posner
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Note: Every Sunday I write an op-ed article for the Huffington Post. You can see this article in its original context here
A recent leaked report from the World Bank, stating that 75% of the increase in world food prices is due to biofuels, has served to reignite the food vs. fuel debate. In particular, many are outraged that even as food prices rise corn continues to be used for ethanol rather than tortillas. However, what is lost in all the biofuel controversy is the fact that tremendous amounts of land are devoted neither to fuel nor nutritive food, but rather to non-nutritive uses like tobacco, high fructose corn syrup and cane sugar.
Blame Meat and High Fructose Corn Syrup
The fact of the matter is that if we are really concerned about rising food prices and endemic hunger/poverty, then we’ll have to do more than question the biofuel mandates in the United States and the European Union. In truth, we’ll have to call into question much of our agricultural system. For instance, we might ask the world’s billion or so wealthy citizens to curtail meat consumption, which is not only responsible for 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions, but also uses tremendous amounts of land, water and food--all of which could be devoted to staple crops that the poor need to survive. Or, we might take a second look at the amount of corn that is used for high fructose corn syrup, which does little more than contribute to the American obesity epidemic.
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